Life in limbo – the asylum waiting game

Ahead of Luxembourg's welcome to a handful of Syrian refugees, wort.lu spoke to Syrian asylum seekers already in the country about life in limbo.

02.01.2014

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After fleeing war and violence in their own country, you would think that Syrian asylum seekers in Luxembourg could at least feel secure.

But, with many still waiting for an answer on their asylum applications, life here is just as fraught with fear and anxiety as it ever was.

“It's difficult for me. If I had papers, I could work and go to Turkey to see my parents. I'm taking French classes but I have a lot of time where I'm not doing anything,” asylum seeker Mohammed Alfandi told wort.lu.

His concerns and those of many people in a similar situation are also with the family left behind in Syria.

“Luxembourg has given me a lot - a roof over my head and food. But, my thoughts are always in Syria. My family is imprisoned there. Two sisters of mine have died and I didn't get to see them. My mother is very worried.”

Mohammed is waiting for his asylum application to be approved so that he can begin working in Luxembourg, start to rebuild his life and help the rest of his family.

For Samy Orabi and his wife, who came to Luxembourg legally, the wait is over. They were granted asylum in Luxembourg six months after arriving here.

However, the cultural differences between the two countries mean that their initial anxiety is now replaced by homesickness for their homeland which Luxembourg cannot substitute.

Since the outbreak of war in Syria, around 7 million people have been displaced with more than 2 million people living in refugee camps in neighbouring countries.

As part of a solidarity project announced last year, Luxembourg is to grant asylum to 60 Syrians who are expected in the country within the coming months. The families will be housed in Weilerbach, on the border to Germany.